Hamilton 1 Queen's Park 4: Motherwell loan star Connor Shields at the double as Spiders sink Accies

Motherwell loanee Connor Shields bagged a brace for Championship leaders Queen's Park as the Spiders ended Hamilton Accies' five-game unbeaten run.

Shields' double along with strikes from Jack Thomson and Aaron Healy did the damage to sink Accies, who grabbed a consolation through Dario Zanatta.

It is only Hamilton's second defeat in their last 10 outings in all competitions but it has seen their lead over Arbroath at the bottom of the table cut to just one point after Lichties drew with Partick Thistle.

Hamilton now host Arbroath on Friday night in a colossal clash under the lights at New Douglas Park, which could play a pivotal role in determining the automatic relegation spot come the end of the season.

Accies made one change from the midweek win over Inverness as Andy Winter dropped out and Lucas de Bolle came into a 3-5-1-1 formation, having missed Tuesday’s game through injury. They also welcomed back midfielders Tom Sparrow and Reegan Mimnaugh with the duo starting on the bench after injury.

The hosts created the first real opportunity of the game when a Connor Smith free-kick into the box wasn't cleared properly by the Spiders defence. The loose ball fell at the feet of Dylan McGowan 10 yards out and the defender scooped his shot over the bar when he should have at least tested Calum Ferrie in goal.

Queen's Park went straight up the other end and almost broke the deadlock themselves when a cross from the left found Connor Shields, but the on-loan Motherwell striker's backheel flick on the volley flashed past Ryan Fulton's far post.

Some sloppy play from Queens almost gifted the hosts a big chance in 27 minutes when John-Pierre Tiehi applied pressure on a back pass, forcing Ferie to mis-kick his clearance. It